Cottage Pudding (Cake for Strawberry Shortcake)

I will never use another shortcake recipe again. This is delicious!

I also substituted the butter for shortening. It came out perfectly. Slighlty sweet and spongy like a vanilla cake, not like a biscuit. It was a crowd-pleaser. Easy to make.

Wow, just wow. Such a wonderful recipe, I plan to make again and again. It reminds me of the taste of sugar cookies but in cake form! I made the recipe with only a few adjustments; I used coconut oil instead of vegetable shortening (healthier and adds a delectable flavor) I used a 10inch springform pan to make removal easier. I cut back the sugar to 3/4C as others suggested. I blended canned coconut cream (NOT coconut milk) with some powdered sugar to make a delicious cream sauce to pour over, rather than fluffy whipped cream. I liked this because it saturated in to the cake to make it extra moist during each serving. I kept the cake separate from the berries and cream for better storage over a few days and would cut up fresh strawberries and pull the blended sweet coco cream out of the fridge each time I wanted a serving. All went splendidly to create this marvelous spring treat!

This cake was delicious. I plan to use it for the base of all my summer fruits. This time, I had it with strawberries. I decreased the sugar by 3 tablespoons, and had to bake the cake about 15 minutes longer than the directions say. I’m sure it would have been fine with the called for amount of sugar, but we don’t like things too sweet. Give this recipe at try. You’ll really like it. UPDATE: I substituted 1-to1 gluten free flour for regular flour, and decreased the sugar to 3/4 cup. As previously noted, I again had to bake it about 12 – 15 minutes longer than stated in the recipe. The results were excellent. It looked and tasted the same as when previously made with white flour.

My daughter has taste buds where she can tell what is in or left out of most foods making her a discriminating eater. She loves this cake. It is not the biscuit texture most people are probably used to. It is very soft and does not brown in the oven. I used butter (not oil), just slightly less sugar, and baked for exactly 25 minutes. It was a perfect bake both times.

This cake is awesome…….and so easy! I used unsalted butter instead of shortening and everything else as written. So versatile, you could top it with any fruit or dessert sauce. Thanks for sharing!

This is an old New England recipe. Was very popular during the Depression. My Grandmother taught it to me as her Grandmother taught her. It is great by itself as well as any topping. She would make it in winter with a warm cream glaze that soaked into the cake. In summer it was great with any fruit and whipped cream. ….and always butter. My Grandmother always said…no reason to live if you don’t use butter!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Missing Grandma now.

This was wonderful! I was worried about it drying out so I reduced baking time a little, but I didn’t need to worry. Super moist and tasty. I served it with scoops of homemade ice cream and fresh berries for a tasty summer dessert in the back yard.

I usually make the standard biscuit-type shortcake which sometimes ends up being too dry, especially if you don’t have enough juice from the berries. This recipe is perfection and so much better! I made it to bring to a small gathering and it was a big hit. When I offered the leftover portion to the hostess and she eagerly accepted it, I was disappointed to be going home with not even a crumb! The texture and flavor is wonderful with berries and would be yummy even on its own. As soon as I buy more berries I will be making this again!! I made the recipe exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing!

I’m giving this five stars because this is fantastic! I looked up “Cottage Pudding” and this is an American dessert from the 1800s. The recipe first appeared in Fannie Farmer’s Cookbook from that time period and has many versions over the years. A pudding is a British term for a bread-based dessert, though I’ve heard the term also used for any dessert. This cake could be the base for strawberry shortcake, or baked as a cobbler with the fruit of your choice, or topped with a hard sauce. It’s a sweeter cake and imo much better than the traditional shortcake. I swapped butter for the shortening, but will probably try the shortening the next time I make this.

I usually take the easy way out when it comes to shortcake and reach for the Bisquick. NEVER AGAIN, not after making this recipe. It was perfect in every way; taste, texture, crumb, everything. My housemates raved about it. So easy because it uses ingredients that are already around the kitchen. Not going back to the box, ever.

I had never had homemade shortcake before. We always bought the sponge cake cups from the grocery store. This shortcake is so incredibly delicious and easy to make. 45 minutes from beginning to end. Very Very Very Simple!!! I’m already planning my next shortcake

Nice flavor – would be best as cupcakes

Excellent shortcake recipe!!

Delicious! I made it as directed, and it was perfect with strawberries, lots of juice to soak into the cake with whipped cream on top. I think I will serve it with peaches tomorrow. This will always be my choice for shortcake.

I will use this recipe from now on. It is so simple and delicious.

I made the cake without recipe changes. It has a nice dense texture suitable for shortcake. For me it was a bit on the too sweet side, but other family members liked it as is. Next time, I might reduce the sugar.

Husband made this for my birthday, I had requested strawberry shortcake. It was perfect with strawberries and whipped cream. Also, simple enough for my husband, (who doesn’t bake EVER) to make.

Very easy recipe to make

I did the high altitude adjustments and this cake turned out great @

Excellent cake recipe for strawberry shortcake. I used butter in place of shortening and it was moist and delicious.